UC Merced Magazine | Commemorative Chronicle

On September 5, 2005, the rst undergraduate classes began at the University of California’s 10th campus. Since then, a student body of 875 has bloomed to about 9,000. What started as a handful of completed buildings two decades ago has grown into a campus covering nearly 220 acres.

Sayantani Ghosh, one of UC Merced’s early faculty was not surprised. “In my mind there was never a doubt we would succeed,” said Ghosh, a physics professor. “What lls me with pride are our students: those who trusted us when we were untested, and who went on to become extraordinarily successful.” Personal connections remain a calling card for UC Merced, where students say they feel keenly appreciated and supported. Tammy Johnson, a founding sta member, has seen these connections, and others, take root in a community where she grew up “on the other side of Lake Yosemite.” “I’m amazed by all that has been accomplished by students, faculty and sta , and I’m honored to be a part of it,” said Johnson, now executive director of the university’s summer sessions. “To see the campus today and to dream of what it will become is just incredible.” In my mind there was never a doubt we would succeed... what lls me with pride are our students: those who trusted us when we were untested, and who went on to become extraordinarily successful.

s the university’s physicists would remind us, time is relative. ose early days yield vivid memories for the people who attended and worked at the Central Valley’s UC. For many of today’s Bobcats, however, the campus has existed longer than they have. But irrespective of how one perceives where UC Merced has been, there is little doubt as to where it is now: one of the nation’s nest universities. U.S. News & World Report, the gold standard in annual assessments of universities and colleges, raised UC Merced into the top 25 of public institutions in its latest rankings. In spring 2025, the university was con rmed to be in the top tier for research excellence by another gold standard, set by the Carnegie Foundation. Only 10% of quali ed U.S. institutions reside at the highest level, called R1. Carnegie, U.S. News and other respected sources say UC Merced excels at providing a better future for students, especially those from underserved backgrounds, through academics and support. In short, the university transforms lives.

Sayantani Ghosh ASSOCIATE DEAN OF GRADUATE DIVISION PROFESSOR | PHYSICS

UCMERCED MAGAZINE 49